NorthEast Province receives 9 ambulances from WHO

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 February 2003, 13:55 GMT]The World Health Organization (WHO) Friday donated eight ambulances worth
fifteen million rupees to the Tamil dominated northeast province to provide
better medical services to the people in the remote villages who have
suffered
years with lack of medical attention, provincial health ministry sources
said.

The event took place at the Ministry of Health in Colombo Friday in the
presence of Minister Mr.P.Dayaratne. The Sri Lanka representative of WHO
Dr.Kan Tun handed over the keys of the eight ambulances to the NE
Provincial Secretary of Health Mr.R.M.S.Ratnayake.

Colombo ministry officials and NE Provincial Director of Health Services
Dr.V.Kumaravetpillai also participated at the event.

Minister Mr.Dayaratne speaking at the event said the supply of ambulances,
one each to all the eight districts in the northeast province would
certainly help the people living in remote villages in obtaining better
medical services. In emergency situation patients from villages could be
transported to urban hospitals to provide better medical attention,
Mr.Dayaratne added.

The eights districts in the northeast province, Jaffna, Killinochchi,
Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai are the
intended recipients of the ambulances.

Eight drivers who went to Colombo with provincial ministry officials
to drive back the vehicles to Trincomalee, sources said.